Nicky Lopez
Nicky Lopez has been one of the best acquisitions for the Atlanta Braves at this season's deadline. He was acquired for Taylor Hearn and essentially became a low-risk trade for them.
Lopez was pretty much the replacement for Charlie Culberson as he is able to play multiple positions on the infield and can even man left field.
He got his first start for the Braves on August 12th against the Mets and what a debut it was. He finished the day 4-6 with 1 home run and 5 RBI.
However, the trade for the former Royal ended up being way more important than AA could have imagined. Ozzie Albies exited the series finale against the Mets on August 13th with a cramp but it turned out he had strained his left hamstring.
That meant Lopez would have the opportunity to get more starts with the team at second base. Vaughn Grissom was called up to replace Albies' spot on the roster but so far, Lopez has gotten the start at second every game since.
In game one against the Yankees on Monday, Lopez went 3-4 with a stolen base and 3 RBI, continuing to impress fans. He broke history in his first two starts, becoming the first player to have 7+ hits and 8+ RBI in their first start with a team. He joins a team that is breaking records left and right so that tracks that he'd break a record too.
The @Braves' Nicky Lopez is the 1st player to record 7+ hits and 8+ RBI in his first two starts with a team since RBI became official in 1920. pic.twitter.com/x7V2QIer7B
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 15, 2023
Since coming to Atlanta, he is batting .412 with 7 hits and 8 RBI. That is really nice as he'd been struggling mightily at Kansas City. His offensive success is a nice bonus but his defense is the main reason he was brought over and he has delivered in that department.